What we're talking about

Alec Strachan on Graham Mabury's top award A worthy recipient indeed.. Well done Graham, your blood is worth bottling.. Al more
Mick on Your suburb, your voice Colin Barnett, cut every thing to the bone for the average and needy. But large increases for your cronies and the wealthy. ... more
Dellas on Government staff pay rises Never thought Dixie Marshall would/could be bought to become nothing more than a cash cow.I thought a lot of her as a woman ... more
wayne bishop on Butt out yeah right increase the prices more to pay the govt. debt so the govt. can waste and blow away more money and the govt. ... more
Kevin Boyle on Would you vote for this guy? Go Clive, you got my vote, its about time that someone stands and says it for what it is !!!!we work to hard to be treated ... more
Mei-Lee Morris on Asbestos awareness walk Hey Guys!! Well done!! Keep up the good work!!! Looking forward to seeing you all tonight!!! more
Johnny on Foreign aid delay If bob carr stopped wasting millions on traveling around the world they might be able to pay the foreign aid !! Do they ... more
Dellas on We'll sign NDIS on our terms Western Australia. The richest, yet most draconian State in the country.Colin Barnett, Helen Morton and Troy, ... more
sherley dionne on Engelbert Humperdinck engelbert,you are (TU EST D,UN AUTRE MONDE)GENTLEMEN,CHARISME EXTRAORDINAIRE,GREAT TALENT,BEAUTÃ? DIVINE ,LOVE YOUR ... more
Kylie Welsh on We'll sign NDIS on our terms NDIS - I am a mother of an 8 yr old boy who was born with Spastic Quadraplegia Cerebral Palsy. He is non verbal, fed through ... more
steve thornton on We'll sign NDIS on our terms In Victoria the state government signed up and then raised my disabled sons rent by 27% the next day. more
Dellas on Horse racing has a problem When one looks at it in a cold logical light, horses really have no place in the modern world, do they?Except for greedy, ... more
Johnny on Power price rise 'dishonest' Just one question where is all the money from the mining boom ??? more
Johnny on Broken promises unacceptable Lets have a recall election that might keep the mongrels honest !! more
Peter on Broken promises unacceptable Good article the only error is that Larry calls it a stadium, where in actual fact it should be called "Colin's Colosseum" more
Luc Del Casale on More boats To those that are refering to the Malaysian solution, if you actually read the policy that sends 800 illegals for 4000 ... more
Johnny on Power price rise 'dishonest' Barnett should stand down he is not fit to run this state he is like Gillard over spent cant manage the money wants to build ... more
jacques v on Referendum on local council Since local govt are not recognized in the Australian constitution, why has the states included local govt in their ... more
Alastair on More marriages, more money Everyone regardless of race, colour, gender etc is entitled to the same rights regardless of who they are, otherewise this ... more
Rusty of Fremantle on Referendum on local council The Gillard Governments rationalisation of a fair and equitable carve-up to WA as witnessed in the NBN, NDIS and GST, would ... more

The Campaign

Posted by: Shannon Harvey | 13 August, 2012 - 7:22 AM

Out today is The Campaign, which stars two top comedians in Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. Ferrell has been the number one comedian for the past decade or so, becoming a cult hero in Anchorman, Semi Pro, Blades of Glory, Step Brothers and The Other Guys. Galifianakis (The Hangover) is the new Ferrell. He’s the goofy clown and the unpredictable man-child…and very much in the Ferrell mold.

So I was keen to see the master and the apprentice face-off here. Would the young upstart upstage the master, or would the old dog teach the new pup a few tricks?

Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a sleazy, lazy US congressman who’s run unopposed in his North Carolina district. When a pair of powerful millionaires (Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow) plan to "in-source" cheap Chinese labor to the US, they find the perfect political puppet in Marty Huggins (Galifainakis), a brainless, effeminate boob who’s too clueless to question where his campaign funds are coming from.

Before you can say ‘electioneering,’ the two are trading insults and dirty tricks. Name calling and personal attacks quickly escalate into blackmail and fist fights. Then things get really ugly; Ferrell seduces Galifianakis’s wife, and records it, and Galifianakis shoots Ferrell in the leg.

The Campaign is from Jay Roach, who made the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents movies…so you can expect that kind of juvenile, silly, crass humour. It’s basically the old odd-couple buddy comedy routine, with the two numbskulls going hammer and tong.

It should make for a fun film. Think of it; two top comedians facing off as political enemies, given all the real-life political scandals we’ve had.

Sadly, The Campaign has only a few genuine laughs, so I was largely disappointed. It’s less about political satire than the gutter tactics each do to bring the other down. Neither candidate stands for anything – there’s no actual campaigning — just name-calling and mud-slinging.

It could have been much smarter and funnier if it was written as a shaper political satire instead of a goofball comedy.

That said, a lot of the comedy comes from the mere look of the leads. Galifianakis has a roly-poly body, wears Cosby sweaters and a “Taliban” moustache. Ferrell plainly parted hair goes nicely his blank stare.

There’s a very funny sight gag when both compete to kiss a baby, and Sarah Baker steals it as Huggins’ sweet, wholesome wife, Mitzi.

It also runs at a very quick 85 minutes. If only all political campaigns were that quick!

However, there’s nothing we haven’t seen done before — and done better — in this lowbrow trash-talking comedy. And to be honest, Ferrell’s trademark rants and improvised insults and one-liners are wearing a bit thin and feel quite dated.

So The Campaign does not get my vote.

SCORE: 5 / 10